Students at select US universities can now unlock dorm room doors and make NFC payments with Samsung Wallet
Launched last year as an upgrade over the fledgling Samsung Pay, Samsung Wallet can store credit/debit cards, digital currency, digital keys, login passwords, and health/vaccine passes. Like Apple Pay and Google Wallet, it also allows users to make contact-less monetary transactions via NFC. Now, the new platform is rolling out extensive support for student IDs at dozens of participating schools and colleges across the U.S.
The ability to store student IDs on Samsung Wallet will be available across 68 colleges, universities, and higher education institutions, including, but not limited to, Penn State, the University of Florida, Central Michigan University, University of North Alabama, and the Stevens Institute of Technology. Samsung says it is closely working with its partners to expand the service to more institutions in the future.
Thanks to the update, students adding their ID to the app will be able to use their smartphones to unlock doors at dorm rooms and academic buildings. At some of the participating colleges, students will also be able to use their phones to make NFC-based payments at on-campus stores, vending machines, and more. To roll out the new features, Samsung is working with a payment and mobile credential solutions firm called Transact Campus, which claims to serve 12 million students annually at more than 1,800 higher education institutions.
One interesting aspect of the student ID integration is that it will work even when the phone is locked or switched off. To do that, Samsung has two other tricks up its sleeve, called Fast Mode and Power Reserve. With the former, students can simply tap their phone for ID verification without needing to unlock it or turn on their screen. As for Power Reserve, it lets students tap to use their ID even when their phone has switched off due to low battery. Once Battery Reserve is switched on, it stores enough energy for up to 15 taps in the 24-hour period after the battery dies.
Student ID support will be available on a slew of compatible Samsung devices, including the Galaxy S20 and later, Galaxy Note 20, Galaxy A53, and all Galaxy foldables, including the latest Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4. Samsung is also planning to roll out Student ID support for select Galaxy Watch devices this fall.
